Silent Solitude

Living in the Matanuska Valley makes it difficult to avoid the mountains that surround us, many of which I’ve featured in my paintings over the last couple of years. Matanuska Peak and Pioneer Peak are two prominent examples that I return to again and again. However, with this painting I wanted to explore another local mountain: East Twin Peak, one of the peaks towering over the Knik River river crossing as you head into Anchorage.

The East and West Twin Peaks always catch my eye when I drive into Anchorage. It’s hard not to notice them when they’re right in front of you for several miles, yet at times what’s in plain sight isn’t always obvious. Several years ago, a co-worker pointed out that there is a cross-like feature clearly visible during the right light conditions on East Twin. I had never noticed! This discovery, and the photo I took that day, is what initially drew my attention to this particular peak and made me consider painting it.

But, as I looked more at that photo, something else stood out. East Twin, although part of a range of other peaks, is special in its own way. I’m not quite sure how to put my finger on it, but when viewed in a photo by itself, it has this quiet majesty to it as it reaches towards the blue, cloudless sky and towers over the river valley below. There’s a silent beauty about the crisp white snow, slightly tinted by the sun, and its cool shadows. It stands there in silence, in solitude, but it is by no means small or insignificant.

Silent Solitude seemed like a good name for it.